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'Walking on eggshells': Why Donald Trump chose JD Vance to lead peace talks with Iran
An associate of JD Vance said he has been careful in his interactions with Donald Trump because of his earlier opposition to the US-Israeli war on Iran.
US Vice President JD Vance has reportedly been “walking on eggshells” around President Donald Trump as he prepares to lead high-stakes peace talks with Iran in Pakistan on Saturday.
A close friend of Vance, who spoke with him, said he described feeling like the US vice president was cautious because of his antiwar views. A Vance spokesman later disputed this. “He’s walking on so many eggshells that he’s on his way to Pakistan at the president’s request to lead negotiations,” the spokesman told the Wall Street Journal.
Vance's visit to Islamabad is first such visit by an American Vice President in the last 15 years.
JD Vance in Pakistan
The talks in Islamabad are focused on holding together a fragile ceasefire, and are being seen as the most important US-Iran engagement since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The negotiations begin with major differences still unresolved. Iran has set conditions, including sanctions relief.
Vance was wrapping up a two-day trip to Budapest this week when Trump handed him the assignment to lead the peace talks with Iran.
From ‘no new wars’ to leading peace effort
This also binds Vance to the outcome of a war he once kept at arm’s length. The US vice president once promised “no new wars” and is now in charge of delivering peace.
A Vance spokesman told the WSJ that as the vice president was “not thinking about this in the realm of future political considerations.”
Vance will be joined by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, while the Iranian side will include senior figures such as Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Abbas Araghchi.
The Pakistanis will mediate the talks.
Was Vance against war on Iran?
Before the two-week ceasefire, Vance largely stayed out of the spotlight during the US-Israeli war on Iran. Trump also acknowledged that the two hold somewhat different views on the issue.
Trump said Vance was “philosophically a little bit different” and “less enthusiastic” about military action, though he ultimately supported the strikes, which the president described as necessary, as per ABC News.
Before the February 28 US-Israeli attacks on Iran, Vance said there was “no chance” of a prolonged war. He later admitted the war could last longer. He also said that Trump would not allow a “multi-year conflict.”
Trump on Friday dismissed suggestions that the talks would be a test of JD Vance or his political future. “He doesn’t have to prove anything because he’s doing a very good job,” Trump told the New York Post. “He has nothing to prove.”
